New research on nutrition and health

ETH Zurich and EPFL launched the Future Food Initiative in 2019 together with Swiss food industry leaders Bühler, Givaudan, and Nestlé. The goal of the initiative is to expand research and education in the area of food and nutrition sciences. 

The Future Food Fellowship is a postdoctoral program for exceptionally qualified young researchers with projects targeting future food issues. The program is co-managed by the World Food System Center and the Integrative Food Science and Nutrition Center at EPFL.

The most recent call for projects focused on several topics, including sustainable and nutritious lipids, solutions for affordable nutrition, relationship between nutrition & microbiome, and processing of plant proteins. Three new projects were funded and start in 2024. The program has now supported twelve fellows working on diverse topics.

New project highlights

The influence of dietary lipids at weaning on adipose tissue expandability

Investigators: Prof. Bart Deplancke and Dr. Carles Canto Alvarez, Laboratory of Systems Biology and Genetics, EPFL

Excess fat mass strongly correlates with metabolic, respiratory and cardiovascular complications. However, there is substantial variation, with some obese people remaining metabolically healthy and some thin people exhibiting metabolic disease. The researchers anticipate this work will be able to highlight nutrients that could be used to modulate the ability to store fat through hyperplastic, instead of hypertrophic mechanisms, potentially protecting against long-term metabolic ailments. Futhermore, this project may identify circulating molecular markers and/or microbiome signatures that may allow prediction of which individuals are more at risk of metabolic complications upon body weight gain.

Elucidating mechanisms of probiotic function through transcriptional recording

Investigators: Prof. Randall J. Platt and Dr. Katherine Guzzetta, Laboratory for Biological Engineering, ETH Zurich

Trillions of microorganisms reside in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract, where they play crucial roles in digesting, metabolizing, and releasing nutrients for their host. The immense potential of the gut microbiome to modulate multiple aspects of health and disease, as well as its accessibility, has fueled an expanding global market for novel probiotics. The researchers aim to characterize mechanisms by which nutritional interventions influence the establishment and functional ability of probiotic bacteria in the gut in a non-invasive manner.

Refining of pea and rapeseed protein using Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents

Investigators: Prof. Alexander Mathys and Dr. Joseph Dumpler, Sustainable Food Processing Group, ETH Zurich

Recovery and fractionation strategies for purified plant proteins and spent solvents after extraction to achieve a novel ‘closed loop biorefinery approach’ are still in their infancy. This project aims at a fundamental understanding of the extraction of antinutrients from two protein-rich agricultural byproducts, pea protein concentrate and rapeseed press cake, to recover purified plant proteins using a novel class of solvents, food grade Natural Eutectic Solvents (NADES). The research has the potential to significantly reduce color, bitter, sharp, and astringent off-tastes of plant protein as compared to aqueous extraction. The project will enable an innovative ‘green chemistry’ approach to refine plant proteins from underutilized protein-rich agricultural (by-)products.

Learn more about the fellowship and fellows: external page www.futurefoodinitiative.ch